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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Home Sweet Home #23

Welcome to Home Sweet Home! I am mixing paint this week with gesso and I thought I would give you an update on how this has been going. This is the inspiration picture, on the right, of a antique cupboard in a beautiful bathroom. I have got the color on my cabinet here on the left.

But, before I arrived at that color I mixed paint awhile. Here I mixed gloss Hunter Green by Valspar with Gesso. All of these are too bright.

I painted the cabinet with one of the above paint mixes and I realized it was much brighter when dry than when I mixed it. So, back to the drawing board. This color is what I would call teal. It is just the hunter green mixed with gesso and there is more Gesso than paint in the mix. How was working with Gesso? I loved it! It goes on smooth and covers great. Across the room my husband was using our trim paint and painting the door for the bathroom and the old color bled through and he will need 2 coats. This is not the case with this gesso mix. It has great coverage and all I needed was to lightly sand and give it one coat. It is chalky!

So, I finally realized I would have to break down and get a gray to mix with this to achieve this muted shade I was aiming for. I went to Walmart and got a basic gray. I mixed some more and this gray was the key to the color. The gray (it was semi-gloss latex interior) was Time Worn Stone.

So, if you just want to paint with a normal paint it would save time to find a sample of the color you want and get it scanned and have the paint mixed. But, if you want to use gesso to get that chalky finish you will have to mix paint. What I learned was that when mixing paint start with the palest color first, for example the gesso and add the color slowly to get the desired tint. You have to stop, all the while, when doing this and paint on something and let it dry to see how dark it gets when dry. And, that was the other thing I noticed the wet paint is much paler than it will be dry. So the sampling process I did above on the white cardboard is very useful. Do I want to use gesso again? Yes! I am going to paint some chairs and a chest with it. I also can't wait to sand it and see how it ages.

Thanks for joining me at Home Sweet Home!Now, I would like to feature some wonderful post from last week's Home Sweet Home.

First, Desire Empire got my attention with a beautiful Orange cake and a roasted chicken. Click the link to view.

Next, The Tablescaper had the most romantic tablescape under lights. Click the link to view.

The Pear Tree Cottage had the most gorgeous after dining room when she rearranged some walls. Click link to view.

And last, The Precious Little Things in Life shows you how to create these book covers as well as many other links to DIY book covers that will have your bookcase looking chic. Click the link to view.

Attention: To link up with inlinkz you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or they will not allow you to link. If you find your link deleted, add the link, and then try again. (I have been deleting a few links. Inlinkz sets the rules.)

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it. If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please. Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration. Thanks.:)

47 comments:

I tried to comment on the previous post about the paint, but I had trouble. Hope this one works. I love the look of your paint and want to learn more about this Gesso thingie. It's the chalky, colonial, look I love.

And I missed that table from The Tablescaper!! I was offline last week. I am going to have to take a look because it looks just beautiful.

Hi Sherry,I'm so glad you decided to try the gesso technique with paint. You can use just about any water based paint. Your piece turned out beautifully. Sanding it will give a nice smooth, hard finish. Can't wait to see more.xoxoRosemary

Thanks for this awesome tutorial... loved it! I have to follow these steps next time for my painting project... gesso mixed with paint creates such a beautiful finish... the finish on your piece is sooo gorgeous... loving the color! Thanks for having us each week. Have a great weekend!~Poppy

Hi Sherry, I never really tried to paint anything. I guess I'm too afraid to do it badly, but I like reading about your painting projects. Thank you for hosting HSH. It's always fun to join you and visit other creative and inspiring people through this link party.

You are so ambitious as to mixing your own paint this way,Sherry! wow - If the end result is a chalky, this would certainly be much less expensive than buying the AS chalk paint, that's for sure! I'm anxious to see the end result. Thanks for hosting, again~ Sue

I love mixing colors - it's always such a rush when you finally get it right! I love this shade.I haven't used gesso in a while - I think I may have to pull it out and play some.Thanks for hosting.And, thanks for coming to THT.Rhonda

I'm just too timid to try to mix colors of paint for a wall...I have to give you credit for going for it! Your idea of using gesso makes me wonder how it would work with craft paints? Hmmm, now THAT I might try!!Thanks for linking up with Pearls and Lace Thursday!Blessings, Doni

I can't wait to see how the cabinet turns out. The hardest part for me is waiting between steps, just can't wait to get to the big finish. Thanks for hosting, I love seeing what everyone is up to.Hugs,Patti

Gosh I could have sworn I left a comment anyway, love the paint color. My daughter is getting ready to move into an apartment and we will be doing some furniture painting so thanks for the tips! Have you ever used chalk paint under the paint color? Thanks for hosting and visiting with me!

I have long preferred gesso to regular primer for furniture because it levels better. It is a bit pricey for big walls of cabinets, etc. It does come in some other colors besides white. I have never tried mixing it with regular paint, will probably test that out. I have used my art pigments fairly successfully to add or alter color. Your project turned out so pretty!

Just wanted to stop by and invite you to Treasure Hunt Thursday formerly over at Blue Creek Home. Rhonda has passed it on to me and I would be honored for you to join us!:) Party starts at 8 pm central tonight!:)

I love the color on your cabinet. I wish you were here to help me mix up the right shade:) I'm sitting here 5 months later looking at the dining set I bought and wishing it was painted just like your cabinet..

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